Coach looks overseas for running talent
Grace Fleming
Issue date: 4/15/10 Section: Sports
The UTC cross country team recruits athletes not only from Tennessee and the surrounding areas, but also from as far away as Australia, Kenya and Canada.
Getting these athletes to come to Chattanooga relies on the coach's ability to network.
Bill Gautier, coach of UTC's cross country and track teams, started recruiting from foreign countries 20 years ago.
He had a friend in Canada who knew several prospective runners. Since then, Gautier has depended on overseas scouts and the Internet to find new athletes interested in becoming a Running Moc.
"What's great about overseas athletes is they don't care about UT and being orange at a football game," Gautier said.
On GoMocs.com, the cross country and track teams' home pages both feature a recruiting questionnaire, which is designed for students to submit their information and credentials to receive more information about the program.
"On any given day I'll have one to four e-mails [from foreign athletes]," Gautier said. "They know Americans are eager to take them."
Sebrina Lefront, former UTC runner, and Gautier's assistant, decided to come to Chattanooga from her hometown of Timmins in Ontario, Canada after visiting and meeting the six Canadians who were on the team at the time.
"The city, the team and the smaller class sizes all were a part of my decision to come to UTC," Lefront said. "Most importantly, I had seen other athletes that had improved a lot, so [I] wanted to come and improve too."
Anneli Uys, a junior from Sommerville, Australia, is a member of both the cross country and track teams. Uys said she decided to come to Chattanooga because Australia does not offer university running programs.
"At UTC I am both a student and an athlete and my daily life gets scheduled around that," Uys said. "But in a university in Australia I would only be a student at the university and an athlete outside of that."
Both athletes explained that being a part of a team is a big responsibility.
Being a part of a team, going to college, and traveling thousands of miles to do so is an even bigger challenge than it is a responsibility.
However, they both agree that the benefits outweigh the challenges for most international student athletes.
"I came to the United States because college sports are such a big deal here," Uys said. "I wanted to run against people who are better than me, so I can better myself."
The track team will travel to Boone, N.C. for the Southern Conference Championships April 24-25.
Full track rosters and schedules are online at GoMocs.com.
Getting these athletes to come to Chattanooga relies on the coach's ability to network.
Bill Gautier, coach of UTC's cross country and track teams, started recruiting from foreign countries 20 years ago.
He had a friend in Canada who knew several prospective runners. Since then, Gautier has depended on overseas scouts and the Internet to find new athletes interested in becoming a Running Moc.
"What's great about overseas athletes is they don't care about UT and being orange at a football game," Gautier said.
On GoMocs.com, the cross country and track teams' home pages both feature a recruiting questionnaire, which is designed for students to submit their information and credentials to receive more information about the program.
"On any given day I'll have one to four e-mails [from foreign athletes]," Gautier said. "They know Americans are eager to take them."
Sebrina Lefront, former UTC runner, and Gautier's assistant, decided to come to Chattanooga from her hometown of Timmins in Ontario, Canada after visiting and meeting the six Canadians who were on the team at the time.
"The city, the team and the smaller class sizes all were a part of my decision to come to UTC," Lefront said. "Most importantly, I had seen other athletes that had improved a lot, so [I] wanted to come and improve too."
Anneli Uys, a junior from Sommerville, Australia, is a member of both the cross country and track teams. Uys said she decided to come to Chattanooga because Australia does not offer university running programs.
"At UTC I am both a student and an athlete and my daily life gets scheduled around that," Uys said. "But in a university in Australia I would only be a student at the university and an athlete outside of that."
Both athletes explained that being a part of a team is a big responsibility.
Being a part of a team, going to college, and traveling thousands of miles to do so is an even bigger challenge than it is a responsibility.
However, they both agree that the benefits outweigh the challenges for most international student athletes.
"I came to the United States because college sports are such a big deal here," Uys said. "I wanted to run against people who are better than me, so I can better myself."
The track team will travel to Boone, N.C. for the Southern Conference Championships April 24-25.
Full track rosters and schedules are online at GoMocs.com.
